Chapter 3 Chapter 3: Prison
Royce
After a few minutes, Daniel comes back in with my daughter Camren. She is only four. We lost my mate and her mother when she was only two years old. Her mother protected her during a rogue attack, and I didn’t get there fast enough to save her.
Camren runs to me in her little wobbly way. She looks like her mother, Kiara. She has curly blond hair and blue eyes. She has dimples and long lashes. The only thing that is mine is the face shape. Otherwise, she looks like Kiara.
“Daddy!” she came running to me with a bright smile.
“Bunny!” I said, smiling at her, even though I know it doesn’t reach her eyes. “Did you have a good nap?”
“I did. I dreamt about a unicorn that was really smart, and she walked on a clover patch, daddy,” she said, giggling.
I chuckled. “That’s good, bunny. Listen, daddy has to go away for a few days, okay? Uncle Daniel is going to take care of you while I’m away. I need you to listen to him and be a good bunny for daddy. Can you do that for me?” I asked gently.
“Are you going to be gone for a lot of days or a little bit of days, daddy?”
I hugged her tightly. “Hopefully only for a little bit of days, bunny. I tell you what: I want you to draw me a picture of your dream so that when I come back, we can look at it together. I will even frame it and put it in my office, okay?”
She smiled brightly at me again, “Okay, daddy!”
She hugged me tightly, and I hugged her back. I looked at Daniel, “Protect her with your life, Daniel.”
“Yes, Alpha. Don’t worry, you’ll be back soon.”
I nodded and then looked at Pratt. “Let’s go.”
He nodded, and even though they are not putting me in cuffs and I am going willingly, the warriors flank me on either side. I guess this is their protocol. Councilman Pratt knows me well enough to know that I’m an upright alpha. I don’t know if he really thinks I committed this crime, but I know he has a job to do. I only hope I can prove my innocence.
After an hour on the road, we reach the council. I’m escorted to the prisons, and I’m processed before being led to a cell. Councilman Pratt stays with me the entire time until I’m officially in my cell. This is my new home for what I hope will be the next few days.
“Councilman?”
“Yes, Alpha Royce?”
“I am telling you now…I’m being framed. I didn’t murder anyone,” I said.
“Whether I believe you or not, doesn’t matter, Alpha Royce. The evidence still points to you. So this needs to be sorted out,” Pratt said.
“I understand, but I am requesting an investigation. I have that right as an Alpha.”
“If we find the murder weapon, that can clear up a lot of the questions we have, Alpha Royce. It could possibly prove your innocence.”
“I am willing to go under the council command to compel me to speak the truth,” I said.
“You will. Expect it, Alpha Royce.”
I nodded, and he said goodbye and left. I turned around and looked at the cell behind me. It’s dark, damp, and feels cold. The walls look rough, and there is a stone bench to sit down. At least there is also a bathroom in here. It doesn’t smell the greatest down here in the prisons, but it’s not the worst either.
I take a seat on the bench and run a hand through my hair. What the hell am I going to do? Why is the Moon Goddess doing this to me?
Pratt
I make my way to the councilman chambers after dismissing the warriors. When I get there, I see the other two council members sitting there, waiting for me. The chambers are furnished with dark mahogany furniture, and bookshelves wrap the room. The shelves are loaded with all the books on pack law, the history of the council and realm. It also has the registry of every Alpha, Luna, Beta, and Gamma from all the packs. The windows let in natural light, and you can see the dust particles floating in the air through the beams of light. At night, three chandeliers light the room and create an ambiance of intellect. The long conference table where maps are laid out to review plans for upgrades and infrastructure is clear, except for the coffee cups in front of the two councilmen sitting there, waiting for me expectantly.
The first is councilman Gimlet. He is old and quiet. He no longer has the lush brown hair from his youth. He is old and bald. Though he is old, his eyes are still black and sharp. He has been a councilman for over twenty years and is the most senior councilman. He observes more than anything. When he speaks, it’s worth listening to him because he is so observant. He is normally correct in his assumptions, as well.
The second is Councilman Olford. He has been with the council about ten years. He is more passionate about his job than Gimlet and me. Not that we don’t take our job seriously; rather, we don’t have sudden bursts of emotion. I’ve been doing my job for fifteen years. I hope that when Olford gets to around fifteen years, he is more levelheaded. He has brown hair that is graying at the sides. His beard is starting to gray, and his eyes are starting to crinkle at the edges. His eyes are brown and sharp, much like Gimlet. The difference in personalities is the biggest difference between the three of us.
We all want things to be done according to the law. We have plenty of opinions of how things should be handled, but at the end of the day, we always agree to follow the law and where it leads us.
“Pratt, how did it go with Alpha Royce?” Olford asked.
“He claims he is being framed, but didn’t resist or present any problems. He did, however, request a formal investigation. He is within his rights as an Alpha,” I replied.
Olford scoffed. “He couldn’t prove his own innocence?”
“There are too many convenient circumstances. The plant was placed on Alpha Dustin’s body, the surveillance cameras not only at Blue Ridge, but also at Ashcrest were conveniently not working within the timeframe of Alpha Dustin’s murder, and he was at the memorial for his late mate, by himself, during the time of the murder,” I said and then added, “It all seems too suspicious to me.”
“I don’t think it’s suspicious at all. He is framing it like he is being set up, when in reality, he probably did it.”
“He also willingly said he would submit to the council's command to compel him to speak the truth,” I added.
“Pfft. He probably has a medication that helps him bypass telling the truth. His medicine to mask a she-wolf in heat is an example of what kinds of masks he can create.”
Gimlet then spoke up and asked, “Did you find the murder weapon, Pratt?”
“No. It looks like blunt force trauma. The coroner is doing the autopsy,” I replied.
“Then, I suggest we grant Alpha Royce’s request for an investigation. He is cooperating because he is saying he is innocent. He is willing to submit himself to the council command, and he didn’t resist coming here,” He said.
“Agreed. Who should we have investigate this case?” I asked.
“Rogers is my pick,” Olford said.
“Rogers? He has only been with the Council Investigations Department for a couple of years. I don’t think he is the right person for such a high-profile case. Alpha Dustin was a beloved and popular Alpha. People are going to want the best investigator we have,” I replied and then suggested, “How about Davidson?”
Gimlet then interrupted, “No. We should get Ashford.”
“Captain Ashford? She doesn’t lead cases anymore. She runs the department that does the investigations now,” Olford said.
“She is still the only person in the C.I.D. with a close rate of ninety-eight percent. As you say, this is a high-profile case. The people are going to want the best,” Gimlet said.
“Let’s bring her in,” I replied.
